Minimum Wage

ARTICLES ABOUT MINIMUM WAGE BY DATE - PAGE 3

ONE OF the points that the Democratic candidate for governor makes is that he supports raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. On his website he cites the Economic Policy Institute and endorses their proposal to raise the minimum wage to the aforementioned $10.10. But when you go to their website you find that their plan calls for a $0.95 wage increase over three years which eventually gets to $10.10 in 2016. I don't believe that Wolf has made that differentiation clear. So if you're thinking that if you vote for Mr. Wolf in November that you're going to be getting paid $10.10 as soon as he assumes office, then you're mistaken.

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. - They bashed President Obama, praised each other's leadership, and shared a hug on stage. Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Gov. Christie, who campaigned for Romney in the run-up to the 2012 election, were together again Wednesday - this time at a fund-raiser for the New Jersey Republican Party that doubled as a 52d birthday celebration for Christie. And this time Christie, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, is the one publicly mulling a bid for the Republican nomination in 2016 - though he assured attendees Wednesday night that he was focused on his "main job" as governor.

IN THE SPIRIT of a 1970s Burger King commercial, low-paid fast-food workers in Philadelphia - and around the nation - say they're more determined than ever to have it their way. Tomorrow, employees not just from Burger King but also from McDonald's, KFC, Popeyes and other iconic fast-food chains seeking a $15-an-hour wage and the right to unionize hope to stage their largest one-day job action ever - punctuated by sit-ins and other acts of civil...

New Jersey's servers, bellhops, and bartenders earn lower hourly wages than their counterparts in Pennsylvania and Delaware, pushing them into poverty, according to a report released Wednesday. "Instead of dealing with the needs of people who work for tipped wages, we've largely ignored them," said Gordon MacInnes, president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, the organization that released the report. Under New Jersey law, the state's 140,000 "tipped" workers must be paid a minimum of $2.13 an hour, which is also the federal minimum wage for tipped workers and hasn't changed since 1991.

Joining a movement toward increasing income for low-wage workers, Ikea USA announced Thursday that more than half its minimum-wage hourly workers would get an average 17 percent raise, effective Jan. 1. The announcement by the Swedish retailer, which has its U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken, came days after Gap Inc. instituted a wage increase for its 65,000 workers and a week after City Council passed an ordinance raising minimum wages for employees...

Friday's jobless figure - 6.3 percent - for May (same as April) means the economy is improving, but slowly, the experts say. Is this what an economic recovery is supposed to feel like? This month marks five years since the end of the Great Recession. Starting with a chart about the job numbers, CNN Money presents 17 visuals to illustrate the recovery. Unemployment has fallen from 10 percent in late 2009, gross domestic product has wobbled, stocks have soared, mortgage foreclosures have plummeted.

Warning that jobs - especially those created by small businesses - will be at risk, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry and 34 local chambers of commerce sent a letter Tuesday to the General Assembly urging legislators to oppose proposed mandated wage hikes. "Following a historically devastating economic recession and in the midst of an unprecedentedly [sic] sluggish recovery and persistently high unemployment, it is imperative that lawmakers pursue public policy that encourages job retention and creation and avoids impediments to economic growth," the letter says.

GOVERNOR Rob McCord (D.) CITY COUNCIL AT-LARGE (Special Election) Matt Wolfe (R.) CITY BALLOT QUESTIONS Question 1: Allow Council to set minimum wage for city subcontractors? Vote NO Question 2: Allow city elected officials to remain in office while campaigning for another office? Vote NO Question 3: Give Council authority to approve contracts for legal representation of indigent defendants? Vote NO STATE SENATE Fourth District Second District Art Haywood (D.)

NATE SMITH, 22, a baggage handler at Philadelphia International Airport and father of a 2-year-old girl, says he experiences pretty much all of the downsides of work - the constant aches and back pain from lugging more than 1,000 heavy bags every day. But earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25, the Southwest Philadelphia resident says he is not enjoying the full benefits of his labors. Smith said that he, his fiancee and his daughter are living with his grandmother to make ends meet, and he's frustrated when he can't buy his little girl a toy because he can barely pay the monthly bills.

TOMORROW'S primary election will determine the candidates for a number of offices, including governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. House and some state House races. If that's not reason enough to vote, consider this: Just last week, Gov. Corbett announced that he will drop further appeals to a court ruling banning the state's voter-ID law, put into place two years ago. The death of this pernicious law is reason to celebrate, and the best way to do that is to get out and vote. Here are our endorsements for governor and for city ballot questions.